WP Password Generator password generation plugin for WordPress
Updated December 18, 2011
When administrators create new users through the WordPress admin interface (wp-admin/user-new.php), they are forced to come up with a password for the new user. The administrator is faced with a choice: use a separate password generator app or waste precious time coming up with a clever password only one person will ever see.
WP-Password Generator takes the hassle out of creating new or insecure passwords. Simply click "Generate Password" and your user has a unique, 7-16 character password.
Please note that this plugin does require javascript to be enabled in order to work. Without javascript, the generator will simply be unavailable.
Installation
- Upload the
/wp-password-generator/plugin directory to/wp-content/plugins - Activate the plugin
- That's it!
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the plugin generate passwords?
WP-Password Generator un-obtrusively injects a "Generate Password" button into /wp-admin/user-new.php. When the button is clicked, an Ajax call is fired off to /wp-content/plugins/wp-password-generator/wp-password-generator.php, which returns a randomly-generated password.
As of version 2.3, WP Password Generator calls the pluggable wp_generate_password() function (which is the same function WordPress uses to create new passwords for users who have clicked "Forgot password?"). This function can be overridden in a theme or plugin, if desired.
Is there anything to configure?
Not directly, but as of version 2.3 the plugin uses the pluggable wp_generate_password() function. If a developer chooses to override the function, the passwords created by the plugin will use the same methods and rules applied to passwords created through the "Forgot password?" tool. Minimum and maximum password lengths can also be set in the wp_options table (one row with the key of "wp-password-generator-opts"), though there is no dedicated settings page for these values (by default, passwords are between 7-16 characters).
Special Thanks
Special thanks goes to Greg Laycock for his input during the development of this plugin. Additional thanks to WordPress users pampfelimetten for suggesting the plugin hook into the strength indicator and michapixel for recommending the 'Show password' feature. Chris Van Patten also deserves major props for assistance with version 2.3.
